VICTORIA — The Otis-Bison High School football team found its game late to overcome Victoria on Saturday on the road.
The Cougars outscored Victoria 20-0 in the second half for a 26-6 win over the Knights in the second round of the Eight-Man Division-II state playoffs.
Otis-Bison went up early 6-0 in the first quarter before both teams clamped down defensively as the same score stood up at halftime.
Patrick Piper scored the lone touchdown in the first half. He finished the game with 114 yards on 20 carries.
The Knights struck back early in the third quarter, knotting the score at 6-6.
“It was the hard-fought game that we thought it would be,” Otis-Bison head coach Travis Starr said. “We were up 6-0 at the half, and  in the first possession in the third quarter, they bust off a long run to tie the game on us.
“I thought we played very well in that second half. Our O-line got it going in the fourth quarter, and our running backs started turning out yards.”
Piper caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Keller. It was Keller’s only completion, as Otis-Bison relied on its running game because of heavy winds.
Dylan Wissman finished with 105 yards on 23 carries. He scored two touchdowns for the Cougars.
“It is nice to have the two running backs,” Starr said. “Especially on days like today, when we had to rely on the run game. We weren’t going to try too many passes in this wind. One can take a break while the other is on the field. It helps keep them both fresh.”
The Cougars will host Thunder Ridge, the only team to beat them this season, on Friday night at 7.
The Longhorns rallied in the fourth quarter to overcome Ashland 32-28 to advance to the third round of the playoffs.
 
                                                                                                              — Kevin Price­